National Board Bio

Hello! I’m Kirsten Nguyen and I’m a current MS2 originally from Southern California. I went to Cal for undergrad where I majored in genetics and minored in education, and am now in Tennessee for medical school. I’m passionate about finding advocacy and identity groups wherever I go, and APAMSA has really helped with staying connected to my culture and community no matter how busy medical school gets. I love exploring new volunteering events, coffee shops to study at, group dinner ideas, music, and ways to be in the sun!

Hey! My name is Sarah and I am a senior undergraduate at Stanford University with roots in Seoul, Korea and Irvine, CA. I study Human Biology with a concentration in Biotechnology and Health Policy, which stems from my fascination with using technology and evidence-based research to heal others and my personal experience dealing with high costs of care in my family. My interests lie at where the two halves of my concentration meet, specifically current regulations of medical technology. I am excited to use this position to educate myself and the APAMSA community about health policy and the actions that we can take as a collective to advocate for those we care about.

I currently serve as Stanford Pre-Med APMSA Chapter’s Co-President and served as the Editor Director on the National Board during the 2022-2023 term. In my free time, you can find me seeking out the next live music concert, taking pictures of my friends, playing tennis (badly), and playing the violin (acceptably).

Hi there, I’m Sandra Phanita Kumwong, I am a full-spectrum doula and current DO student at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem, NY. I’m a born and raised New Yorker with Thai-Mon-Teochew heritage. I obtained my Bachelor’s in Sociology with minors in Asian American Studies and Biology from Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College. I was a Community Health Program Coordinator at the National Black Leadership Commission on Health where I implemented NYC’s first COVID outreach and vaccination equity programs. I’m passionate about Reproductive Justice and worked as a sexual health educator in a youth clinic (The Door NYC), in public high schools (Peer Health Exchange), and as a gynecological skills instructor for students in medical professions. I plan to practice sexual and reproductive health care with holistic and justice-minded lenses. I currently train and mentor young doulas and reproductive justice advocates with Advocates for Youth. You can read some of my works in “Becoming an Abortion Doula” in Colonize This! 2nd edition and Rewire News’ “Why Asian Americans Need Better Sex Ed”. In my spare time, I love to take long walks with no destinations, practice yoga, and bird watch!

Hi everyone! My name is Eric Kim, and I am currently completing an MSc in Bioethics at Harvard Medical School. I will be returning for my 5th year at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and plan to apply into Internal Medicine. I served as a Region II Director from 2019 to 2021, as well as the Rapid Response Director from 2022 to 2023. I am excited and honored to continue serving as the Rapid Response Director for this coming term!

Hello! My name is Ashley Tam and I’m a third year medical student at Oregon Health & Science University. As a child of immigrants I was constantly surrounded by Chinese culture and traditions, but it wasn’t until undergrad when I was surrounded by AANHPI peers and I realized how important that was to me. After being a Director for the 2023 National Conference, I’m really excited to continue working with APAMSA! When not running around for rotations I like to play phone games, bake Chinese pastries, watch anime, and try out new restaurants.

Hi everyone! My name is Ming Lin, a second year medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin. I was born in Zhaoqing, China, sprouted in Minnetonka, MN, and completed my prior higher education in Boston, MA. I graduated from undergrad in 2014 at Tufts University and subsequently completed a master’s in 2018 at Boston University School of Medicine. Very excited and honored to be a part of the APAMSA family. I look forward to working together to elevate AANHPI voices. We are stronger together!

Hello! My name is Karen Qi, and I’m excited to serve as APAMSA’s Mental Health Director this year! I grew up in the Bay Area, went to college at Rice University, then worked in adolescent mental health research for a couple of years in DC. Currently, I’m a medical student at Hopkins. Outside of school, I’ve been involved in research on Baltimore’s history of deinstitutionalization, MedChi (Maryland’s physician society), and Bamboo Sprouts (a student organization that helps connect Asian adoptees with their cultural backgrounds). In my free time, I love to dance, collect records, and snowboard!

Hi! My name is Zheng Hong Tan and I am a 6th year MD/PhD student at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. I was born and raised in Singapore and came to Columbus, OH for college and never left! In my free time, I like to backpack and eat and explore new food places – so much so that I actually did my initial filter of med school applications wayyy back based on the food that is available!

​​My name is Jonathan Weng, and I am an MS3 at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. I grew up in the Midwest as a child of Taiwanese immigrants, and the tension of living in the narrow space between “Asian” and “American” bruised my bicultural self-identity as an incomplete member of either. Finding a niche as a leader in the AANHPI community during my undergraduate years facilitated my discovery of the beauty in each culture and compelled me to embrace the peculiar opportunity of simultaneously indulging in both. More recently, my experiences as a Regional Director and Membership Vice President have afforded me the rewarding opportunity of collaborating with AANHPI students and leaders in medicine across the nation who have a similar heart and mind for bettering AANHPI health. Outside of medicine, some of my interests include music, basketball, and theology. I look forward to working with and learning from each of you as we seek to understand, appreciate, and leverage the gift of our cultural identities in the context of medicine!

Hi APAMSA! My name is Nicholas Wu, but I go by Nick. I’m currently a first-year at Saint Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri, and serve as the chapter Co-President for APAMSA as well as Regional Director for Region VI. I’m originally from the Bay Area, and graduated from UCLA with a degree in Molecular Biology and double  minors in English and Biomedical Research in 2019. In my free time, I love learning about music production and practicing my skills as an amateur DJ!